BY HARRY R. CARTER
Problems surround us every day. As we work to drain the swamps we face, each of us is up to our elbows in the alligators we know as problems. Much as we try to avoid them, they tend to dog our every step as we provide fire protection to our communities.
Routine problems face us daily and may be addressed through rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. You will see them time and again and thus have established solutions. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) can limit the number of problems you will face; they allow you to handle routine issues such as ordering supplies and dispatching fire and EMS resources.
Nonroutine problems, however, do not have a standard, repeatable solution. These unique situations involve people and matters that must receive your full attention, and they will cause you to spend a lot of time worrying and wondering about how to address themfor example, an insufficient number of personnel or amount of money to do the job.
We generally avoid problems that involve the difficult matters of human interaction. In our fire departments, some people do not want to play on the team and simply cannot get along with anyone; others simply never get the word about what is going on; for some, their sole function seems to be that of a burr under the saddle of the organization’s leadership; and still others seem to serve as a roadblock to all progress. The list of problems is quite long.
ACKNOWLEDGE IT
Admitting there is a problem is the first step toward solving it. Sadly, in my experience, far too many people in critical leadership positions prefer to practice “Ostrich Management,” hiding their heads in a hole in the ground like an ostrich. They avoid dealing with life’s problems and seem paralyzed when forced to handle difficult issues. Ostrich Management is a symptom of one of our society’s greatest obsessions, problem avoidance. If a problem is ignored, it will go away, never to be seen again. But that is not what happens.
DEFINE IT
What constitutes a problem? A problem can be a matter to be solved, a decision to be made, a perplexing situation, a difficult person, or a roadblock to your success. The definition could be expanded, but the situations above are a good starting point. Symptoms, causal factors, hints, and clues are indicators that a problem exists.
Many problems seem to have multiple causal factors, which should be listed to provide the basis for attacking the problem. This is critical; you may discover that these separate causes are subtle variations of the same thing. For example, fewer members might be attending fire department functions, but is that an attendance problem or merely the symptom of something else that is at work? During my doctoral research in 2005, I discovered that poor leadership causes people to vote with their feet. My research indicated that, in many cases, the leader created a corrosive environment and the people simply stopped responding to and participating in the organization’s work.
To become a good problem solver, pay attention to the world around you. People who continually get caught in the middle of problems do so because they just aren’t paying attention to things that are amiss. They fail to spot the signs that indicate there is or will be a problem. Effective problem solving necessitates that you keep an eye out for the organizational storm clouds that always lie out there just past the horizon.
ANALYZE IT
To do this, you must analyze your organization. The simple questions, What should you see? and What do you see? get the ball rolling. The difference in the answers to these two questions may provide help in identifying the problem or preventing a potential problem from occurring.
How do people avoid facing problems? Denial is the first refuge of scoundrels. “We don’t have a problem; where did you get that idea?” You have to move past this stage of denial if you are to have any hope of solving the problem.
Ignoring a developing problem is close on the heels of denial. If you do not acknowledge the obvious, the problem will simple evaporate. Despite the many causal factors that present themselves to the organization, some people just look the other way. To succeed, however, you must get past this stage of ignorance and denial.
Some people get past the ignorance and denial stage only to jump directly to the blame stage. Forget about solving the problem; it is much easier to dispense blame by pointing fingers. The fingers all point away from the accuser. Another form of blame assignment that is equally useless is where a person who has been ducking the problem begins thumping his chest and taking all the blame himself. Perhaps you have witnessed such a dramatic performance. The person taking the blames appears clothed in sackcloth and ashes in a display of personal shame and penitence.
“Woe be unto me, for I have sinned and must assume the blame!” is usually how the lines for this performance go. Sorry, but this does nothing to solve the problem. No form of blame assessment, whether outward or inward, does anything to solve a problem. Such useless exercises consume valuable time that could be devoted to crafting the solution.
ATTACK IT
The first step in attacking any problem is to be completely honest with yourself and your associates. Step up to the plate and admit that a problem exists. Stop the hiding, sliding, and denying. No effort can move forward without an honest admission that something is wrong.
Next, gather the necessary evidence that indicates something is wrongnot yelling, screaming, and blaming, but an honest appraisal of what is not working properly. Meet with your associates to see if they agree with your view. Be sure to gather the facts and opinions in a fair, open, and honest way. Nobody will help a person who seems to be on a mission to hurt someone.
Define the problem you have identified in a concise written form. Focus on the causal factors, which is a critical step, because the causes are what need to be addressed, modified, or eliminated if you are going to create a viable solution. Don’t get hung up on any one symptom; use them all as guideposts to work your way back to the problem you need to address.
Now talk to people and get the whole story. Don’t just gather a few thoughts and then go off half-cocked thinking that you have all of the facts. Only after you have pieced the whole story together can you then think of beginning your attack. Having the requisite number of actual, verifiable, situational facts allows you to create the proper solution or series of solutions.
CONSIDER SOLUTIONS
You will want to create more than one possible solution. Don’t jump at the first thought that comes into your mind. Work with others to round off the rough edges of any potential solutions that come to mind. Bear in mind that you must have a full grasp of the situation. If you lack this, you risk creating a solution that will never work because it is not tailored to the situation you face. Review your organizational records and determine whether any existing customs, regulations, or SOPs cover the issue.
It is critical to collect the facts and avoid witch hunts and blame games; they waste energy and ruin the problem-solving process’s operational focus. Solicit the feelings and opinions of all involved. Inadvertently leaving a person out of the loop can create an unnecessary future enemy who will work to sabotage the problem-solving process.
The elements of this step are critical, because at this point you must decide how to attack the problem. There are a number of ways to do this: call a conference; form a committee; delegate it to another person; solve it yourself; or hire an outside consultant.
You and your team must select the right methodology for your situation. There is no one best way to solve a problem. Use the method that best fits your organization at the time the problem is being studied.
To guide yourself through the process, consider the following action questions:
- Will you do this yourself?
- Do you have sufficient authority to do so?
- Do you need help?
- Can your team get the job done?
- Should you refer it to your superior?
Each of these questions must receive a full and adequate hearing. Choices made at this point will affect how you proceed. Don’t head off down the wrong road only to be summoned back by an angry boss.
Regardless of how you choose to attack the problem, you need to accomplish a number of tasks. You need to fit the facts of the situation together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, consider the interaction of these facts, and review your fire department’s policies. Completing these tasks will provide a true picture of the situation.
For the greatest chance for success, you need to consider upfront the impact of any possible solution on the organization and its members. This is not a time for secret committees, hidden agendas, and smoke and mirrors. Pursue each aspect of the solution in a straightforward manner so that you can secure buy-in from the stakeholders who will be ultimately impacted by the solution.
The best way to do this is to gather a cross-section of the affected groups together and conduct a fair and open brainstorming session. Each member of the group should have his say. Don’t let one individual try to overpower the group and sway the outcome in his favor. I assure you it will not be easy. But it is so important that you encourage an open discussion.
CHOOSE A SOLUTION
Once a number of solutions have emerged from this process, it is critical to pick one and get on with business. Some people revel in analysis and thought massaging and want to debate and negotiate to the end of time. You must be firm in your insistence that people make a choice. Don’t analyze a problem to death; eventually everyone becomes tired. Do not let the process go on that long. Do it and get on with it.
Once you have made your choice, do it. However, it is important to be able to assess the progress made toward the problem’s solution. Use the following questions to guide your thinking about assessing feedback:
- How soon should you start checking for progress?
- How often should you assess the progress made?
- How can you check for a change in attitude, behavior, output, and relationships?
- Should you establish a formal review process?
There is no pat answer for each of these questions, since there is no one way of making these things happen. If the solution you propose has many steps, the need for a formal review process is evident. The solution for an alcohol abuse problem differs from the solution for personnel neglecting proper, periodic preventive maintenance. Likewise, the results would need different assessment mechanisms.
If you can reach a point where you feel that the problem has been solved, congratulations! Accept the pats on the back and move on. However, if the problem remains, you will then be forced to try one of the other alternative solutions proposed. Hopefully, one of those will work. If not, then you must cycle back to step one and start over again. That is why it is called a problem-solving process. Let the process outlined above be your guide to a successful problem-solving program.
Hard work and continual practice make the process work. Use the problem-solving process as often as is practicable. Most importantly, continually assess the environment within which you are working. Keep an eye out for any storm clouds on the horizon. Keep unpleasant surprises to a minimum. Above all, know that problems are out there and they will only get worse if they are ignored. You can neither run nor hide from the problems in your fire department.
HARRY R. CARTER, PhD, CFO, MIFireE, is a municipal fire protection consultant based in Adelphia, New Jersey; the chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners for Howell Township (NJ) District No. 2; a past chief and active life member of the Adelphia Fire Company; and vice president of the American branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers (MIFireE). He retired from the Newark (NJ) Fire Department in 1999 as a battalion commander and served as chief of training and commander of the hazardous materials response team. He has served as president of the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.
